Pilgrim LIfe

Order of Service

• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Perseverance of Pilgrims

Scripture: John 10:27-29

I. God Preserves His People

A. The Fact of God's Preservation

1. The Westminster Confession grounds perseverance in God's eternal election — those accepted, called, and sanctified shall certainly persevere and be eternally saved
2. John 10:27-29 — Jesus as the Good Shepherd: his sheep hear his voice, he knows them, and no one can snatch them from his or the Father's hand
3. The shepherd-sheep relationship pictures intimate knowledge and close care; the sheep learn to recognize the voice of their shepherd

B. The Way of God's Preservation

1. God's Word: Jesus prays in John 17:17 — "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" — the Word planted and illumined by the Spirit draws believers to recognize their Shepherd's voice
2. The Westminster Confession (ch. 17, para. 2) teaches that perseverance depends not on free will but on:
   • The immutability of God's decree of election and his unchangeable love
   • The efficacy of Christ's merit and intercession
   • The abiding of the Spirit and the seed of God within believers
   • The nature of the Covenant of Grace
3. The Canons of Dort (Fifth Point) affirm that believers do not finally perish — not because of their own merits or strength, but because of God's wondrous electing love and Christ's work on their behalf
4. 1 Peter 1:4-7 — an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven; believers are guarded by God's power through faith; trials test the genuineness of faith and are part of God's preserving work

C. The Goal of God's Preservation: Assurance

1. Philippians 1:6 — "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ"
2. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 — "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it"
3. Assurance may wax and wane and is not equally held by all believers — illustration: an ice skater's confidence does not determine whether the frozen lake holds; the object of faith (a strong Savior) is what matters, not the strength of one's faith
4. Personal illustration: a dying grandmother overcome with fear; the comfort that salvation rests on who the Savior is, not what we have done

II. Believers Actively Persevere

A. The Call to Active Perseverance

1. Philippians 2:12-13 — "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" — the two parts: God's work is the foundation; human responsibility is the response
2. Fear and trembling is not cowering dread but a reverence and wonder at God's holiness that moves the believer toward him, his Word, and his commands

B. The Shape of Active Perseverance

1. The Christian life is not a moving walkway — saving faith is not a one-time event followed by passive transport home; it is an active walk on a narrow road
2. Illustration from Pilgrim's Progress — Christian walks the path to the Celestial City through trials and distractions, yet with confidence that the Lord protects and preserves him
3. Perseverance includes growing love for God's Word, pursuit of holiness, repentance, prayer, and love for neighbor, family, and fellow church members
4. C. H. Spurgeon: "The righteous shall hold on his way — shall continue in faith, in repentance, and prayer, under the influence of the grace of God"
5. Eugene Peterson's phrase: "a long obedience in the same direction" — keep walking, keep trusting the Shepherd's voice, keep loving what he loves

C. The End of the Pilgrim Road

1. The doctrine of the perseverance of pilgrims is the assurance that they will be brought home — to the better country for which they are homesick
2. Believers can have confidence that he who began the good work will complete it